Mamma Mia Cook-off Saturday to benefit Daphne schools

This region plays host to a number of worthy and tasty food events, featuring everything from sausage to oysters and everything in between.

But one of the tastiest and most unique will be held this Saturday in Daphne. For the seventh year in a row the folks at SEEDS will bring together a gathering of some of the finest Italian cooks in the region for a wonderful event.

The Mamma Mia Cook-off will be 7-10 p.m. Saturday in the colorful, expansive parking lot of the new Daphne City Hall. More than 20 teams will compete for prizes and bragging rights, but mostly for bragging rights.

Teams are divided between amateur and professional and will be competing in four different categories: meat, chicken, meatless and seafood.

A panel of judges will choose a winner, along with a people’s choice award that will be selected by those in attendance.

“The event benefits Supporting Educational Enrichment in Daphne’s Schools (SEEDS), a group that, since 2005, has raised $220,000 in classroom enrichment grants for five Daphne schools and Christ the King School.“

The cook-off began as a way to raise money, but also to celebrate Baldwin County’s rich vein of Italian heritage, a vein that runs very deep.

In addition to the food, live music will be provided by Randy Davis and the Jubilee Orchestra, and a large-screen television allows fans to enjoy college football during the event.

A silent auction will include travel packages, golfing weekends and artwork. Tickets are $50 in advance and $60 on the day of the event. They are available at Daphne Recreation Deptartment, Citrin Law Firm, the Frame Corner, Vino e Birra, Miller’s Grand Events, Bryant Bank, Daphne Pediatric Dentistry, Riviera Utilities, Vision Bank, Daphne Utilities, Bentz’s PizzaPub and in all Daphne school offices.

The are available online at www.seedsindaphne.org.

For information, call SEEDS at 251-656-7333 or email at infor@seedsindaphne.org.

To whet your appetite, here are a few of the winning recipes from past years.

Ricotta Gnocchi

6 recipes

— Recipe by Barbara Hutson

For the ricotta gnocchi:

1 pound really good ricotta cheese

3 large eggs

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon black pepper

Pinch of fresh nutmeg

For the sauce:

Splash of olive oil

Handful of mushrooms

Some fresh peas

Few cloves of garlic

Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Approximately 3 cups of vegetable broth

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Chopped basil

Mix the ricotta, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg together. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Put this mixture in the refrigerator for about an hour. Make your sauce while waiting.

For sauce take some mushrooms, preferable wild morel, and sauté in olive oil until they smell meaty and delicious.

Add some garlic and cook for a minute. Add some vegetable broth, about a ½ cup per person, and bring to a boil. Add some peas and cook until tender.

Season, add a little cheese and fresh herb, and use as a sauce for the gnocchi.

After an hour, spoon a small portion of the gnocchi mixture into boiling water until they begin to float. (about 6-8 at a time) Take the gnocchi (looks like dumplings) out of the boiling water and immediately put into cold water to cool.

Drain the gnocchi and serve with sauce. Top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and basil.

Add tomatoes with their juice and simmer until liquid is reduced to about ¼ cup, 6-8 minutes. Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt.

Spoon polenta into shallow bowls and top with shrimp mixture. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon oil, season with pepper, and sprinkle with parsley.